How To Manage Diabetes On A Budget

How To Manage Diabetes On A Budget

Diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol can affect both quality and quantity of life, if not treated. These conditions do not discriminate – they can affect all age groups and all ethnic groups.

If you have diabetes, there is no getting around the fact that taking care of yourself can be expensive. The cost of medical care, diabetes medications and supplies, and healthy foods add up.

These expenses can be difficult to manage even in the best of times. In hard times it can seem impossible. With the current economic downturn, many people are having trouble with even the most basic diabetes expenses.

Those with chronic health conditions, especially diabetes, are cutting critical things like doctor’s appointments and essential medications. These hard decisions, often made without input from a doctor, can have serious—even life-threatening—consequences, especially for conditions like diabetes that require close monitoring.

If you start skipping doctor’s appointments, medications, or blood sugar monitoring without telling your doctor or pharmacist, the consequences can be downright scary.

Unchecked sky-high blood sugar levels in diabetics with type 1 diabetes can cause diabetic ketoacidosis, a dangerous condition that occurs when your body doesn’t have enough insulin and starts breaking down fat for energy. It ultimately makes your blood so acidic it can kill you.

A night in the emergency room or a week in the hospital can rack up a lot of money in health care costs.

Plus, you may set back your treatment so much that you need to start additional, more expensive medications just to get healthy again.

If you need to make a change in your diabetes treatment plan because of financial strains, talk to your doctor or pharmacist first—they’ll likely find a way to help.

If you’re one of the millions of people suffering from diabetes, you may be looking for ways to save money on health insurance and other diabetes-related health costs. Thankfully, there are steps you can take to keep your diabetes and your health care costs under control.

Even on a limited income, there are many cost-effective ways to control this condition, such as increasing physical activity and making better dietary choices and taking a look at the use of various herbs/spices, instead of salt to flavour food.

Having diabetes mellitus (DM), means your body is not effectively using the insulin it is producing to metabolize your food, and it is not producing as much as insulin as it should.

Diabetes, if uncontrolled, can affect the heart, kidneys and eyes over time.

There are two main types of diabetes, Type 1 and Type 2.

Type 1 diabetes requires treatment with insulin because the pancreas cannot produce insulin, while Type 2 diabetes can be treated in its early stages by taking pills.

Very typically however, if you have Type 2 diabetes, you will require insulin over time.

This is due to the continued decrease of insulin production in your body, eventually requiring supplementation of insulin.

Cost-saving Strategies for Diabetes Medication

Eating well and exercising more can often reverse Type 2 diabetes, or at least reduce your need for medication

Even small health tweaks can pay huge dividends. In one study, people at high risk of diabetes who lost 7% of their body weight through dietary changes and exercise reduced their diabetes risk by 58%.

Under your doctor’s advice, you may be able to delay the need for pricey prescriptions and daily home blood sugar testing with smart lifestyle changes.

Losing weight, eating more foods packed with certain nutrients—including fiber and omega-3s—and exercising at least a few times a week can steady blood sugar levels to a point where you may not need medication or can start on a lower dosage.

Exercise of just 30 minutes daily has been shown to maintain weight or even cause weight loss.

And exercise can increase insulin sensitivity, meaning less insulin is needed to control your blood sugar.

Don’t be afraid to buy frozen vegetables in the freezer section of your local grocery store .

Sure, I love fresh vegetables, but since frozen veggies are picked and then frozen at peak ripeness (and thus most nutritionally dense), they are often a better value while being edible for months longer.

Fresh fruits, berries and vegetables are usually in season only a few months per year, and are sometimes rather expensive.

Easy Low Cost Healthy Meals

Add chopped vegetables of your choice and sauté until tender-crisp. Season with a splash of low-sodium soy sauce . Serve over cooked brown rice. Complete the meal with a dish of mandarin oranges and a glass of milk.

3.The Foundation for Health Coverage Education helps people without insurance to locate public and private assistance programs. Their website (www.coverageforall.org) has a simple eligibility checklist.

2 Comments

Paula

May 24, 2016 at 8:59 pm

Hi there, this is such a great post for those suffering with diabetes. Unfortunately health does cost so much money and a lot of the time it’s those with very little money that need it more.
With something like diabetes there is no getting around the use of conventional meds but you are absolutely right in saying that health care costs can be lowered with making a few changes to your lifestyle.
I think this is what is missing in our health system is giving people help and information to make the changes themselves and in turn becoming healthier and saving money- a win win situation.

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